2013 Specialized Spring Apparel Launch

Blueprints in the Apparel Lab

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Last August, Specialized established the Apparel Lab, a department that creates prototype garments. Employees use the facility to create blueprints, cut fabric, and sew test garments—a process that takes no more than two or three days. The lab allows the company to quickly test new clothing ideas; recently, Specialized-sponsored mountain biker Matt Hunter was visiting the headquarters and asked how a particular jersey would be if made from wool. Lab workers handed him a test sample two hours later. When I visited, lab workers had blueprints for a pair of bib shorts laid out.